Philosophical thoughts on Hi-Volume Working BC Breeders

[Katelynn & Gang]

Wow, what a good thread! Thanks for brining this up for discussion! I love reading everything all of you have to say, disagree or not.

 

I am very picky about my dogs and their breeders. Doing some rescue, I've seen and heard a few things I wish I didn't have to but am ever grateful to acquire the knowledge first hand.

 

High volume breeders do nothing for me but upset me. Now days I try not to read or look at anything about these high volume breeders, its a waste of emotion, time, and energy.

 

Yes, these high volume breeders may breed a few good working dogs but what use is a good working dog in a back yard or worse, a shelter! Even if it isn't the dog the breeder origanlly produced, its a few generations down, its still there living, breathing, and wanting just like any other Border Collie, all thanks to that one breeder.

 

I just don't understand why anyone would support them in buying puppies from them, keeping the demand going, rightly knowing that the puppies or puppie's puppies will later add to the growing number of rescue dogs. Is it that challenging to buy from a real working/trialing breeder that people must do this?

 

When there is a fire, don't you shut all doors to keep in contained? Or did I miss something and now its best to throw all doors and windowns wide open, feed it, and let it travel?

 

Good dogs or not, I believe its supporting a major problem in the breed that needs to be stopped!

 

If you are going to breed working dogs do you should do your very best to sell directly to working homes. If not, make sure you have some kind of control or say over the dog so it doesn't go on to produce low quality Border Collies.

 

Yes, I know, a lot of people think its impossible to sell to all working homes. This is very true. But that doesn't mean you can't find someone that will be interested in doing hobby herding or even co owning or spay/neuter contract a dog that is being sold to a sport home so you have some kind of control over what happenes with the dog!

 

You breed for the love of the breed, the best you can do it watch out for your puppies and the future of them!

 

Katelynn

[Annette Carter & the Borderbratz]

Excellent post Katelynn!

 

Pondering the future of the breed is what spurred my initial post!

 

What got me thinking was looking at the foster/rescue I have in my home now. Then thinking that in 10 years I will have had my farm for quite some time and will be needing a competant dog or dogs to work it and I might just have learned enough and earned enough to buy a dog fit to trial. In light of my personal needs I wonder if the powers that be (ie. working dog breeders) have estimated what the future of the breed as a whole (high/low volume producing of working and Barbie)would be in 10 years and what the general population of dogs would be like and if they are taking steps now to preserve their breeding programs for as far into the future as they can reasonably predict versus living/breeding for the moment of today. Are there young dogs of the moment that everyone is breeding to? Are there tried and true crosses that are more beneficial to the overall preservation of the breed? Is breeding BCs involved of good proven croses or is it generally a big crap shoot?

 

Our registry is taking steps to exclude non working progeny and that is a plus even with the resulting split in the breed and (I think) there are even provisions for registry on merit which ultimately does not exclude working dogs of other registries. I think this is very fair and hopefully I didn't just misspeak in a big way

 

I'm guessing there are differing opinions and it does seem that most people (at least here) are implementing policies for placement that curtail improper breeding in regards to the sale of their pups-which is awsome IMHO.